The Central Criminal Court will try to give early trial dates when possible in the future to serious sexual abuse involving children, Mr Justice Paul Carney said today.
His comment before the monthly listing session for new cases came in response to a letter he received from the Minister for State for Children Ms Mary Hanafin.
The Minister referred to research in the Mid-Western Health Board Area and concerns expressed at the Children at Risk Ireland Conference which indicated the period between the alleged incident(s) and the trial date is particularly difficult for children.
She said this resulted from "a reluctance on the part of social and care workers to engage fully with the children lest there be a suggestion of influencing the child's evidence".
Ms Hanafin's letter said that in turn led to a risk the child received "less than optimum therapy whilst the trial is pending".
She said she was aware the court operated a system to deal with cases where the accused pleaded guilty and added she wrote in the hope it could take some further step "to afford additional priority to serious criminal cases involving children".
Mr Justice Carney said the existing situation in the court was that some 200 cases were awaiting trial and it would take one-and-three-quarter years to dispose of them.
He said it seemed to him Ms Hanafin's concern was legitimate. "The court is anxious to do anything it can do to take account of it and accommodate the Minister," he said.
Mr Justice Carney said arising from this practitioners might wish to inform the court of cases involving children to see if priority could be afforded to these trials.
The Minister later issued a statement welcoming Mr Justice Carney's initiative. She said the effect would be "to minimise the pre-trial delay thus ensuring that children are in a position to receive all the appropriate therapy at the earliest possible date".